VIENNA (Reuters) - Thieves have made off with a truck in Mexico carrying a dangerous radioactive material used in medical treatments, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear body, did not give details on how much of the radioactive source, cobalt-60, was in the truck at the time.

Cobalt-60 can potentially also be used to make a so-called "dirty bomb", where conventional explosives are used to disperse radiation from a radioactive source. But the IAEA made no mention of this in its statement.

The IAEA said it had been informed by Mexican authorities that the truck, which was taking cobalt-60 from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste storage centre, was stolen in Tepojaco near Mexico City on Monday.

"At the time the truck was stolen, the (radioactive) source was properly shielded. However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged," the IAEA statement said.

The IAEA has offered to assist Mexican authorities, who it said were searching for the material and had alerted the public.

More than 100 incidents of thefts and other unauthorized activities involving nuclear and radioactive material are reported to the IAEA annually, the U.N. agency said earlier this year.

Because radioactive material is regarded as less hard to find and the device easier to manufacture, experts say a so-called "dirty bomb" is a more likely threat than a nuclear bomb in any attack by militants.

Experts describe the threat of a crude fissile nuclear bomb, which is technically difficult to manufacture and requires hard-to-obtain bomb-grade uranium or plutonium, as a "low probability, high consequence act" - unlikely but with the potential to cause large-scale harm to life and property.

But a "dirty bomb" is seen as a "high probability, low consequence act" with more potential to terrorize than cause large loss of life.

At a nuclear security summit in 2012, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano specifically singled out cobalt-60 among radioactive sources that could be used for such bombs.

"These materials, such as cobalt-60, could be used along with conventional explosives to make so-called dirty bombs. A dirty bomb detonated in a major city could cause mass panic, as well as serious economic and environmental consequences," Amano said, according to a copy of his speech.

Texas just did it for three weeks along the Rio Grande at a cost of $5M. They proved that it could be done. The problem is that they don't have the resources of the federal government to sustain it. If only the federal government would fulfill their CONSTITUTIONAL responsibility to secure the border......

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December 9th, 2013, 2:54 pm

TheRealWags

Modmin Dude

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12488

Re: 'Dangerous' radioactive material stolen in Mexico truck:

slybri19 wrote:

Texas just did it for three weeks along the Rio Grande at a cost of $5M. They proved that it could be done. The problem is that they don't have the resources of the federal government to sustain it. If only the federal government would fulfill their CONSTITUTIONAL responsibility to secure the border......

MY definition of secure is stopping 99.9% of "invaders" from crossing the border at non-checkpoints. In case you didn't know, all of those border crossings have radiological detection equipment capable of finding nuclear material. Therefore, the only way they could get here, without going to sea, is to go through our non-secured border. Land mines and snipers ordered to shoot anything that moves could take care of that real quick. Unfortunately, political correctness trumps common sense in today's society.

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December 9th, 2013, 4:05 pm

regularjoe12

Off. Coordinator – Joe Lombardi

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4180Location: Davison Mi

Re: 'Dangerous' radioactive material stolen in Mexico truck:

slybri19 wrote:

MY definition of secure is stopping 99.9% of "invaders" from crossing the border at non-checkpoints. In case you didn't know, all of those border crossings have radiological detection equipment capable of finding nuclear material. Therefore, the only way they could get here, without going to sea, is to go through our non-secured border. Land mines and snipers ordered to shoot anything that moves could take care of that real quick. Unfortunately, political correctness trumps common sense in today's society.

LANDMINES?????holy extremes batman!

me thinks it is a scary idea indeed to be your nextdoor neighbor! I do NOT wanna know what kind of home security you put up when you go on vacation!

I know for a fact that my solution of landmines and snipers who would shoot anything that moves would never be implemented.

However, it is the ONLY solution that would eliminate or reduce the number or illegal immigrant crossings in a significant manner. I dare you to find a more effective solution that doesn't adhere to politically correct principles.

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December 12th, 2013, 4:36 pm

regularjoe12

Off. Coordinator – Joe Lombardi

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4180Location: Davison Mi

Re: 'Dangerous' radioactive material stolen in Mexico truck:

slybri19 wrote:

Holy Useful Idiot Batman!

I know for a fact that my solution of landmines and snipers who would shoot anything that moves would never be implemented.

I certainly fricken hope not! can you imagine how bad things would have to be, when the slaughter of unarmed people is the only solution. Put me down as not wanting to live on this planet anymore if that day ever comes.

Quote:

However, it is the ONLY solution that would eliminate or reduce the number or illegal immigrant crossings in a significant manner. I dare you to find a more effective solution that doesn't adhere to politically correct principles.

Somehow I doubt it's the ONLY solution. personally i dont think it's possible to eliminate illegal immigration here. it's been going on since before we were a country. Somehow im thinking Columbus didn't file for any kind of citizenship with the natives

Mexicans are the new Irish, or before that the germans, or before that the....ect, ect.ect.

perhaps a better answer would be to help Mexico more and get them to have a better living environment. if things were better there (IE you could drink water without dying from anal explosions) fewer immigrants would flee to here. but I dont really know....foreign policy isnt my forte.

regularjoe12, would you agree that we should implement the same immigration laws that Mexico has? They don't deport illegals either, huh? Wrong. It's idiots like you that make this country screwed up.

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December 12th, 2013, 5:49 pm

TheRealWags

Modmin Dude

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12488

Re: 'Dangerous' radioactive material stolen in Mexico truck:

slybri19 wrote:

MY definition of secure is stopping 99.9% of "invaders" from crossing the border at non-checkpoints. In case you didn't know, all of those border crossings have radiological detection equipment capable of finding nuclear material. Therefore, the only way they could get here, without going to sea, is to go through our non-secured border. Land mines and snipers ordered to shoot anything that moves could take care of that real quick. Unfortunately, political correctness trumps common sense in today's society.

Landmines and snipers?!?! Thought you didn't like the Commies, yet you want to build a border just like that they used in East Germany are using in North Korea....

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December 13th, 2013, 9:17 am

regularjoe12

Off. Coordinator – Joe Lombardi

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4180Location: Davison Mi

Re: 'Dangerous' radioactive material stolen in Mexico truck:

slybri19 wrote:

regularjoe12, would you agree that we should implement the same immigration laws that Mexico has? They don't deport illegals either, huh? Wrong. It's idiots like you that make this country screwed up.

Who said anything about deportation? You are putting words in my mouth. If being against the slaughter of unarmed masses makes me an idiot then gimmie a dunce cap, I'll wear it proudly. That is an extreme I will proudly stand against.

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December 14th, 2013, 2:10 pm

njroar

QB Coach

Joined: September 25th, 2007, 3:20 amPosts: 3220

Re: 'Dangerous' radioactive material stolen in Mexico truck:

I guess if you fail to remember history, you'd fail to see how immigration was controlled in the past.

Slaughter of unarmed masses... You do realize that the irish that sailed into NY were forced into the Union Army, right? So unless you were already rich and could afford the $300 fee to have someone else go in your stead, you were auto drafted into service. That was the only way to gain citizenship. It led to the riots in NY.

And yes, land mines and snipers are extreme, but for every few innocents that come across the border, you have that many terrorists and cartel members moving across to do their thing. And how many innocents cross into the desert, to only die to the elements. Preventing unauthorized crossings goes a long way to saving lives. No one dies at a checkpoint. Land owners and ranchers have been killed by people crossing, so I think those that live in those areas do need to look at means to protect themselves. If you're dead, I think you can argue you weren't extreme enough.

And we have tried to help Mexico. The government is corrupt. The cartels have made the border more dangerous. When the answer is to place warning signs up to 100 miles into US land, you have an issue that needs to be dealt with, not call it an immigration issue.

Also, North Korea is bordered off to prevent them from taking the capital of S. Korea, which they still want to do. They don't want their people influenced by the outside world, which is the same reason East Germany built the wall. They were keeping their people in, more than they were trying to keep people out.

Immigration is a much more complicated issue than most that discuss it ever get into. It's a security issue, a human rights issue, and it is an economic issue. And the proponents of it always talk about the human rights issues, and claim to be moderate on the issue, yet they aren't ashamed of talking about completely open borders and citizenship not being required for anything. That's my problem with immigration reform that's been discussed lately. It's not reform when it wants to remove it. That's just pure amnesty with no solution to the security issues.

Seems the Texas state government found a way to effectively shut down illegal border crossings for a part of their border, and they didn't need land mines. Imagine that!! I guess our resident internet troll bunghole tea party nut job could possibly be wrong. Who'd a thunk it?

_________________"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." - John Adams

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Regularjoe12, reading comprehension must not be your forte. I actually mentioned this on the 4th post of this thread, but I guess you didn't read it. Your mistake.

Here's the deal. If you want to secure the border minus political correctness, land mines and snipers are the answer. However, political correctness prevents efficient and effective courses of action, so we're left with nonsense.

During my 8 years in the Army, we ALWAYS secured our base camp with mines and snipers. It worked and was effective. However, libtards hate proven and effective methods if it disagrees with their ideology. Go figure.

Needless to say, my method would work, but is not socially acceptable. Think about it though. How many "decent" illegals would cross the border if they knew there was a fair chance that they would be blown up by a land mine or shot by a sniper? Basically, zero. Therefore, the only people being killed would be the drug dealers and assorted other scumbags.